Worked to the Bone
by Lunate Lover
Summary: Bones is pulling an all nighter at the Jeffersonian lab, Booth comes to check up on her at the request of Brennan's boss, what will he find? Can he get her safely home without incident? Does being a workaholic take a toll on Brennan that not many see?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:**__**Hey, so we all know that Bones is a workaholic, especially in the early seasons but I felt that we never really got to see how that might affect her, or what consequences it might have. It won't be heavy but I might weave in some angst in there somewhere! This will probably be a glorified one-shot split into a few manageable chunks. Will update frequently, happy reading :) **_

Temperance sighed scanning the bones on the table again; fractures to most of the carpals and phalanges, extensive trauma to the occipital region of the skull (definite cause of death.) Added together all the bone markers are consistent with a violent attack – one in which the victim struggled. Brennan almost hated cases this clean cut, feeling as though she should spend more time with each victim. Her cursory examination felt all too impersonal, they deserved more of her dedicated attention, and despite her often perceived absence of emotion she often felt guilty about it.

Brennan's joints protested as she stood up and stretched out her muscles, she took the time to gently place the skeleton back into its box labelled with the victim's name, soon to be joined by cause of death. It would take around an hour to complete her part of the paper work, then the simple open / close case would be solved, it's the least she could do to put the remains back herself and not leave the job to an intern.

After printing out a new label Brennan sealed up the box and took it back to storage where it would sit until the paperwork was cleared and then remains could be released to the family. She ran a palm delicately over the lid, wiping away invisible dust.

_Lilith chandler : age 27 : Cause of death; fatal blow to the skull : Case closed. _

Another case solved, back to the office to complete and send the paperwork to Booth for submitting, and then maybe there might be time to finish that chapter for the publisher's impending deadline.

45 minutes and a cold coffee later the paper work had been emailed to Booth, and her work had been done for the night. Glancing at the clock at the corner of the screen she sighed, _11:23._ If she left the office now she wouldn't get home until gone midnight, by which the chances of her actually sitting and working would be significantly reduced on account of being in such close proximity to her comfy bed. With the decision made for her Brennan pulled up the working document of 'chapter 14' then she walked purposely up to the brake area to replenish her coffee mug.

Brennan had been waiting for the kettle to boil, sat postulating on whether Kathy should escape from her kidnappers unaided (Brennan's preferred option.) Or if she should be saved by Andy (the scenario that her publisher would no doubt tell her would please the readers more) she became deeply immersed in her internal musings, so much so that she missed the delicate clicking approaching up the stairs to the platform.

"Doctor Brennan?"

Cam's voice cut through her consciousness, startling her out of her thoughts, she immediately sat up straightening her back and ironing out her expression. "Oh, I apologise Doctor Saroyan, I thought everyone had left." Brennan got up from the sofa and walked to the kettle and began to make refill her mug, and remembering the polite thing to do she extended the courtesy. "Would you like a cup of coffee?"

Cam held her hands up "No thank you, I'm leaving for the night. I just came to remove my week old salad from the fridge before I get another lecture from Hodgins about bacteria and food."

"Yes, Hodgins is right; it could potentially be very harmful…" Brennan stopped herself launching into a lecture, even she could tell that it would benefit neither one of the women as both already had knowledge on the subject.

"I know, and I will put it in the nearest bin available" Cam shot an awkward smile as she gathered her things, Brennan was stood putting the milk into her coffee. "Aren't you heading home yet Doctor Brennan? I've approved and signed off the paperwork for the case, so there isn't any work left to do!" Cam had noticed that Brennan had consistently been the last member of the lab to leave these past few days, with a sneaking suspicion that the good doctor maybe hadn't been home in a few nights.

"No, I'm working on a chapter of my new book; I find that I can concentrate more when I'm in the lab." Wrapping her tired fingers around the warm mug Brennan blew on the hot liquid and started towards the stairs "Good night Doctor Saroyan."

"Yes, good night Doctor Brennan, see you in the morning." Cam watched Brennan disappear down the stairs and into her office, and after a brief internal debate she pulled out her phone.

"Booth"

"Hey Seeley, it's Cam…"

"Hey Cam, what's up?"

"Are you still at the Hoover?"

"I am, if it's about the paperwork for the case then I'm just co-sighing Bones' part and then I'm sending it!"

Cam chuckled "No, it's not about the paperwork, I was just wondering if you wouldn't mind maybe popping by the Jeffersonian on your way and check up on Doctor Brennan?"

Booth was instantly on alert "Why, what's wrong with Bones?"

"Nothing really, but I don't think that she's been getting a lot of sleep lately, I've checked the records and she hasn't clocked out at least twice this week. I don't want her to expire from exhaustion when a new case comes in."

"Urm, okay…"

"I know it's late, but maybe just persuade her to go home?"

"Yeah, sure thing Cam, thanks for letting me know. I'll drag her home if I have too"

Cam nodded smiling at the image "Thanks Seeley, I don't think she would take it well if I was the one to ban her from the lab at night…"

"Well if she keeps not going home you might have too" They both laughed at the thought "Anyway, I'll make sure she gets home, thank for calling Camille…"

"No problem Seeley, and thank you." Cam disconnected the call and continued on home, making sure to let security know that Booth would be dropping by soon.

_**A/N: Cheers for reading, let me know what you think if you so desire! **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N:**__ Here's the second part to Worked to the Bone; _

Placing her steaming coffee onto the desk Brennan turned to close the office door behind her, leaving the blinds partially open so she could see out into the empty lab.

Making herself comfy she pulled up her chair to the desk and reactivated her laptop which had gone to 'sleep'. At least someone would sleep tonight she thought wryly. The screen lit up with her notes on the chapter so far, and Brennan's fingers splurged out the loose prose which, as a perfectionist she would go back and edit vigorously later. If she could get the basis of the end of the chapter written then maybe she could submit the completed version to her publisher before the deadline, leaving her more time to concentrate on her real, important work.

Special Agent Seeley Booth put down his pen and stretched out his hand after signing off the last of their paperwork, he put it in the pile to be sent up to Cullen where it would be paired with the Jeffersonian reports and submitted. Shrugging on his jacket he looked over to the clock on his desk _1:32_. Sighing Booth gathered his keys, turned off the lights and headed out of the office; the last part of the paperwork had taken a lot longer than usual due to some discrepancies in the report. Pulling out of the parking complex he drove the short few blocks to the Jeffersonian, hoping for both of their sakes that Brennan had gone home since Cam had called. An argument was really not high on his agenda right at this moment.

He was cleared through security without a problem; it wasn't unheard of for him to be in and out of the lab until the early hours of morning although he tried not to make a habit out of it. The pristine Jeffersonian had something of the menacing look about it at this time of night. Booth quickened his pace, seeing the forensic platform in partial darkness he headed straight to Brennan's office. He could see lamp light spilling softly through the gaps in the blind; he knocked the door and entered without waiting for a reply.

"Bones?" Booth entered the office, his eyes scanning around. It didn't take long to locate her, Brennan was sat in her usual spot at her desk. Her back was hunched and her head was resting on her folded arms, she appeared to be breathing deeply… "Oh Bones…" Booth sighed. As he moved closer he couldn't help but let a brief chuckle escape his lips, it was a rarity that he ever got to see Brennan like this. Of course they had shared moments, their 'guy hugs', some accidental shedding of tears here and there. But it was most defiantly a novel thing to see _The_ Temperance Brennan, Forensic Anthropologist extraordinaire asleep at her desk. Deciding that he'd laughed at her expense quite enough he moved to wake her, gently scooping back curls that had curtained over her face, his thumb lingering on her cheek.

"Bones…" When Brennan didn't stir he tried again a little louder "Bones, wakey wakey!" Booth lightly shook the hand on her shoulder.

"Mmmmmm" Brennan sleepily turned her head and shifted in her chair so that she was facing away from the source of disturbance. Booth, unable to contain himself indulged in another low chuckle. Due to her movement, Brennan's elbow was now pressing down on some of the keys of her laptop, bringing the screen back to life, after gently removing her arm he went about deleting the long string of random letters that she'd accidently added. After completing this he clicked save and was about to quit the document when he caught sight of his name, Booth checked the title of the document assuming that it was paperwork from a previous case. However he was surprised to find the words 'Chapter 14'. Brennan would go mad if she found him reading any of her work before it had been published, but it literally had his name written on it, what more of an invitation could there be? Despite knowing that he shouldn't, he couldn't help maybe reading just one or two paragraphs…

_Kathy tested the movement of her bound wrists, finding that the tight rope didn't leave much room for manoeuvring. After further investigation she found that the ropes binding her ankles were not as tight, theoretically if she could remove her boots then she could get one foot free. Kathy attempted to make slight movements with her legs and feet in order to get the blood flow back, after the estimated five or so hours that she'd been kneeling in the same position the likelihood of normal movement was near impossible. _

_Back at FBI headquarters Special Agent Andy Lister had been relentlessly sifting through any and all of the information that had been gathered on his partners kidnapping. He was determined not to stop until she was safe. After another tense few hours the team came up with a possible location. Securing his side-arm Andy rushed to join the group that he would be leading, she had to be okay. He would get to her in time. (*Should Andy follow protocol or go against orders to save Kathy? – Booth has broken protocol to save me on numerous occasions, without which I would most likely not be here. But it goes against Kathy's character to need to be saved – _she_ is not weak, she can handle it _alone_.*) _

Booth frowned at the screen, part of him was secretly happy that even though 'Special Agent Andy Lister' (at Brennan's most vehement insistence) wasn't actually based on Booth, he now had proof that she thinks about him when working on Andy's character. However, his attention was caught by what she'd written last 'she _is not weak, she can handle it _alone' was Brennan implying that she herself was weak? This bothered Booth; he'd known from early on in their partnership that her self reliance was very important to her. Did she feel that he was taking her independence away? He didn't get much more of a chance to postulate this as Brennan started to stir. He saved the document and put the lid of her laptop down, and once again brushed the stray curls from her face, this time revealing a pair of tired blue eyes. Booth's insides started to melt and he couldn't keep a genuine smile from forming on his features.

"Booth?" Brennan voice was groggy and the crease between her brows was prominent, indicating confusion.

"Heya Bones, I think it's time to get you home…" Booth stepped back and went about collecting her coat and bag in order to give her some space to wake up and gather herself.

As Brennan rose from her chair she couldn't help but stretch out her aching muscles, stiff from lack of movement and her awkward upright sleeping position. "What time is it Booth?"

"Past my bed time, and most definitely past yours by the look of things!" He chuckled, trying to lighten the mood, Brennan moved curiously to the windows looking around empty lab for signs of her co-workers assuming it was morning. She scowled when she saw none, watching her glance towards the clock he prepared himself for the oncoming piece of mind he was about to receive.

"Why are you here this late? You should be at home…" Brennan's dull eyes lit up suddenly as she slipped her lab coat off "Do we have a case?"

"No Bones, we don't have a case, I'm taking you home to sleep. You do remember what that is right?" Walking up to her he took the lab coat from her arms and he saw her posture stiffen at the mention of her late night lab work.

Brennan crossed her arms in front of her chest defensively "Of course I do! I was attempting to complete the chapter that I'm working on for my publisher's deadline. It's hard to write a novel when we have a large case load; that's all." Her harsh tone of voice was betrayed by the tiredness and emotion she was trying to hide.

"A little bird tells me that this is not the first time you've locked yourself in the lab overnight either, we're going to have to have a little chat about that new habit Bones…"

"Dr Saroyan?" Brennan huffed half-heartedly.

"Don't be angry at Cam Bones, she was just concerned, and it is part of her job as your boss. And being your partner it was only logical that she would come to me with these concerns." Brennan nodded in understanding, although she still didn't look happy about any of it. Booth approached the next topic with care. "We all need a brake sometimes Bones, I'm sure you could have your publisher push back the release date a little? I know you Temperance, you don't want to let anyone down, but you can't please everyone all of the time." Smiling softly he brushed her cheek, encouraging her to look at him.

"It's alright – I'm alright, really. I suppose I -" Brennan let out a heavy sigh, casting her eyes down "I've just had a little trouble processing since, well…"

"Kenton." Booth filled in knowingly.

Brennan slowly wandered her eyes up to meet his, he saw the shame and confusion staring back at him. He could see the tears prickling in the corners of her eyes.

"Hey Bones, come on, come here…" Booth enveloped her in a tight hug, her face pressed to the crook of his neck as she attempted to fight the onslaught of tears staining Booth's collar. He rocked her in silence, occasionally assuring her that it would be alright.

"I'm sorry" Brennan mumbled after a few minutes, she pulled back, wiping the tear tracks from her face.

"It's okay Bones, sometimes we all need saving. You're forgetting the amount of times that you've saved me!" Booth smiled at her reassuringly, stepping back and giving her a few moments to right herself, he grabbed her bag from her desk and held out her coat for her to put on. "Madam…"

A small smile tugged at the corner of Brennan's lips as she slipped into her coat, looking a little embarrassed. Booth handed her bag over returning her smile, was that a blush he saw adorning her cheeks? Well that was certainly a first!

"How about it Bones? We can go back to your apartment, order in some Thai - because I don't know about you but I am starving!" Brennan chuckled a bit at that which made his heart a little lighter "Then maybe we can talk about all this…process, together. _Then _we can crash out and sleep in until – oh I don't know, at least 10am? Because I swear Bones, if you wake me up before 8am I will be plotting some very creative revenge!" Winking at her he held up his arms "What do you say?"

The last remains of her tears sparkled across her cheeks that were now thankfully draped with a tired smile. "I think I'd like that very much Booth."

"Good" Resting his hand at the small of her back he guided her out of her office… "And this time we order two pots of noodles, because I like them to you know!"

Brennan playfully punched his arm, before the quiet descended and the air shifted. She turned to him. "Thank you Booth"

The agent's face lit up "No problem Bones, what are partners for?"

They finally walked together out of the doors of the Jeffersonian at 2:15 not for the sleep that they both desperately craved, but to start re-connecting together, to get back to Brennan and Booth.

_**A/N:**__ Hey! Cheers for all of those who reviewed / followed and favourited! Much appreciated. I have a few ideas, but I think I might end this one here, I think it's a natural end to the story line. This is my first fic so it's brief – but it was more for my benefit, my mind is busting with ideas for future longer and hopefully more in-depth stories! Thank you all again for reading :) _


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